Hamfatter's last chance saloon?

Owen recording an acoustic version of his single, Iceland, for BBC Introducing

When they first appeared on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Audio Files, unsigned band, Hamfatter, had little idea that their future would be so bright.

Since then, they have pitched successfully for £75,000 on BBC Two's Dragons' Den and won the support of entrepreneur, Peter Jones.

Jones says: "As much as this is a great journey, it has to make money."

The band's vocalist, Owen O'Mahony is launching a solo career and the band's new album will be released in 2010.

Hamfatter's most successful album to date - What Part Of Hamfatter Do You Not Get? - was pretty much in the bag when the band appeared on Dragons' Den and audaciously asked for £75,000.

O'Mahony and Jones seal the deal in a Cambridge recording studio

Entrepreneur and general 'cool guy', Peter Jones, coughed up the money which helped to make that album their most successful to date. It sold around 15,000 copies - more than 20 times as many as Hamfatter's previous, self-published, CDs.

Twist or stick?

One year on, Peter Jones has made the trip to the band's hometown of Cambridge to film Dragons' Den on Tour - a 'where are they now' series revisiting some of the programme's success stories - and some of its failures.

So, which category do Hamfatter fall into?

Well, album sales might have improved dramatically, but not to the extent that Jones hoped for. "I just knew that if we could make this band work, then, as a business in a tough marketplace, we could earn a pretty good return on it," he says.

Twelve months down the line and he's had to invest a further £25,000. But not in Hamfatter. He's concentrating on launching a solo career for vocalist O'Mahony, whom he believes will be more commercially successful.

Of the band, Jones says: "We didn't do anything particularly wrong before, but we just couldn't get on to those key playlists.

"I think it was really well organised the last time. Jamie (Turner, Hamfatter's manager) got some great people on board and we had some really good people trying to push it, but it was just that close to breaking through, whereas this time we've got to nail it."

If this doesn't work then it could be last chance saloon from a Peter Jones perspective Peter Jones

After a national tour with the band, O'Mahony travelled to LA to work with a producer on songs for his solo album. The fist single, Iceland, will be released in October with the album following in mid-2010.

He's still fronting Hamfatter and their album will be released early in 2010. O'Mahony is releasing his later to ensure the two albums don't clash.

And, remarkably, as he explains to Peter Jones: "I felt it was only fair, in releasing this solo track, to keep the same financial deal with the three of us in the band - which is that we split everything equally.

"So they can't lose really. They don't have to put any effort into it and if it goes well for me, they'll make loads of money."

But, what are his chances? Well, Jones says: "From a business point of view we've got all of the key components. We've got a great recording done with an amazing producer out in LA, and as a solo artist we're really pushing forward."

Will that be enough? Jones is no music producer or promoter, but he is a savvy businessman, so he's not mincing his words when he says: "Leaving it just down to the music worries me. We have to have a plan of exactly what we do and when."

He continues: "Is this going to turn into a profitable investment? I'm not sure. I think the jury's still out on this one to be honest.

"As much as this is a great journey, it has to make money. It has to be viable and if this doesn't work then it could be last chance saloon from a Peter Jones perspective. I'm not going to keep putting money into something that's not going to get a return."

Meanwhile, he's agreed with Hamfatter's manager that their next move will be to break the back of the national radio stations and get their records onto those all-important playlists.

We haven't needed much persuasion here at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. We've been keen supporters of Hamfatter since they first turned up for a live acoustic session on BBC Introducing's Audio Files.

You can hear more Hamfatter and other great local bands by tuning in to that show every Thursday between 6pm and 7pm.